Fairview Historical Society planning reuinion

Gerry MacLeod and Devonna Edwards of the Fairview Historical Society show a small sample of the artifacts and photos they have collected to show at the Fairview reunion this month. (Denise Surette)

Former Fairview residents from across Nova Scotia, Canada and even from across the world will be gathering together in Halifax this month for the first ever Fairview reunion.

The Fairview Historical Society, which was formed just more than a year ago, came together and organized a weekend-long event for residents and former residents.

Gerry MacLeod, president of the Fairview Historical Society, says everything fell into place when they had a few events in Fairview getting people together.

“We had two events but they weren’t under the umbrella of the [Fairview] Historical Society; they were just a group of four or five of us initially,” says MacLeod.

A Night to Remember gathered more than 250 Fairview residents and former residents together where people reconnected, looked at hundreds of old photos displayed along the perimeter of the Fairview Legion and told stories.

The event was such a success, six months later they held another event called A Time to Remember. From these two events the Fairview Historical Society was formed.

Devonna Edwards, society member and archivist, says the interest in Fairview history is strong and it’s important now more than ever.

“We want to collect and preserve the history of Fairview and there are a lot of the seniors passing, and the stories are going with them. It’s so important to have this,” says Edwards. “The history is amazing and there is interest even with the younger residents, which is nice.”

The reunion is planned for July 28, 29 and 30, with the majority of the event taking place at the multipurpose room at the Halifax Forum.

Friday evening, starting at 6 p.m., the society will host a wine and cheese event where a huge display of photos and artifacts will be shown for attendees. For those coming from out of town the next day, the display will be open for a few hours on Saturday afternoon. Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. is the reunion dance at the Halifax Forum, where they are expecting 250 to 300 people.

Music, door prizes and snacks will be on hand for the dance.

On Sunday, the reunion will wrap up with a kitchen party at the Fairview Legion from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 15 local music groups will be playing for the crowds and Freeman’s will be providing sandwiches.

Edwards says the biggest thing they are hoping for from the reunion is for former residents and residents to reconnect with each other.

“We are hoping for fun, stories and to reconnect,” says Edwards.

Edwards and MacLeod say someday their dream is to have a house in Fairview where all of the historical items can be housed as a community museum.

Tickets are on sale now for the reunion events and they can be purchased from executive members of the Fairview Historical Society (Grace or Gerry MacLeod at 902-443-1230, Devonna or Don Edwards at 902-456-0091 or Wayne Kelly at 902-445-2152).

To learn more, search for the Friends of Fairview group on Facebook to see the society’s page, which includes information about local history and the upcoming reunion.